Cancer Suppression is a miR-200 Family ValueJanuary 21, 2010Cancer regulation and the miR-200 cluster has been a family affair for a while now. A new article from a group at The University of Arizona highlights a couple of family members, miR-200c and miR-141, (they must be the attention-starved middle children) and how epigenetic regulation of their expression differs in normal and cancer cells. […]
DNMT1 the Key to Radiant Skin?January 20, 2010The key to younger looking skin isn’t in expensive nip/tuck work or clay masks, but as a recent Nature paper shows, it’s actually DNMT1 that plays a major role. Thanks to DNMT1, whenever you shed dry skin, it is continually replaced with a new layer. That’s right—the same DNA methyltransferase that plays a role in […]
Epstein-Barr Virus is Crafty with DNA Methylation in LatencyJanuary 20, 2010The 80s TV show MacGyver featured a main character who was always able to get himself out of dangerous situations with just his wits and clever use of whatever materials happened to be lying around. In much the same way, EBV has figured out how to harness a host B cell’s DNAm machinery to modulate […]
Two ES Cell Types Find Some Common GroundJanuary 6, 2010Coming from different backgrounds doesn’t make it impossible to find common ground. Just look at nuclear transfer-derived ES (ntES) and in vitro fertilized embryo-derived ES (IVFES) cells. Sure, they’re from different sides of the ES cell tracks, but as researchers from Michigan State University found out, once they’ve differentiated it hardly seems to matter. NtES […]
Zygotes Reboot On Paternal Methylation PatternsJanuary 6, 2010Kids often rebel against their parents as they grow up, and as it turns out, so do zygotes. Feeling “too cool” for their paternal sperm’s methylation patterns, zygotes assert their individuality by “rebooting” the inherited 5mCs and starting from scratch. But up until now, it was their little secret how they pulled it off. Researchers […]
Developing Technologies for Improved In Vivo Epigenetic Imaging/AnalysisDecember 15, 2009The NIH is opening up its wallet again for epigenetic technology development. $3.5M will be allocated in 2010 for developing in vivo epigenetic imaging and analysis technologies. According to the grant description, the NIH has recognized that “… the technologies available to determine the epigenetic state of tissues in vivo are extremely limited. The specific […]
Pre-miRNA Importin and Exportin Strong As EverDecember 2, 2009In today’s global economy, imports and exports can ebb and flow dramatically depending on economic conditions. But in the fine-tuned cellular economy, where supply-demand runs the show, miRNA Importin and Exportin operate with consistency that would have most economists envious. When pre-miRNAs are shipped from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Exportin-5 escorts the ~65 nt […]
Got miR-2861? Novel miRNA Is Linked to OsteoporosisNovember 18, 2009What can you do to keep your bones healthy and strong? In addition to sporting the ever-trendy milk mustache, you might want to avoid mutations in miR-2861, a newly discovered miRNA involved in osteoblast differentiation. A team of Chinese researchers identified miR-2861 by cloning miRNAs from primary mouse osteoblasts (the cells responsible for bone formation). […]
Stressing Out Over MethylationNovember 11, 2009Traumatic events like getting picked last for Dodgeball in gym class can really mess with your head. And some previous research has shown that really devastating incidents, such as 9-11, can change us, even while still in the womb, as shown in this video clip we posted a while back from the PBS Ghost in […]
Comparing Long ncRNAs lincRNAsNovember 11, 2009Despite all of the attention to the non-coding transcriptome lately, our knowledge about what most long intergenic non-coding RNA (lncRNA) transcripts do – if indeed they do anything at all, still has more holes than a Dunkin’ Donut shop. Luckily there are folks out there willing to step in to take on the dirty job […]